Eastern Promise?

Each season there is a fashion-savvy scramble to get a front-row seat at the shows of fashion week. Whether it’s London, New York, Paris or Milan you can be guaranteed to see the biggest names both on and off the catwalk. However, there is a new event making a name for itself on the fashion calendar, and that’s Dubai Fashion Week.

Just like the other fashion weeks, Dubai dedicates seven days showcasing the next season’s collections, and is filled with glamour and style. What’s different about it is you won’t see the latest from Chanel, Gucci or Louis Vuitton, but from designers you may not recognise, such as Parvesh Jai, Aly Fawaz and Amal Murad. Dubai showcases only designers from the Middle East, which don’t get a look in at other fashion weeks.

It has been running from 2007, and this year saw London IT girls Daisy Lowe and Alice Delall pay a visit. It was held at the Godolphin Ballroom at the Dubai Emirates Towers, and much like London and Paris was packed with shows, parties and celebrities. Magazines such as Grazia and Harpers Bazaar were present, making sure their readers didn’t miss a second of the action.

Fashion Director Rohit Sabikhi has high hopes for the future of Dubai Fashion Week: “It gets better every year. It is great that we can provide local designers with a platform to showcase their talents. They can get over looked, and this is their chance.”

“We hope that it is recognised more and that it will rival those held in Paris and Milan. Fashion is just as important to people out here, and we want people to see what the Middle East has to offer.”

One of the highlights was Parvesh Jai. The duo has designed for many international labels, but it was their own creations that took the spotlight. With a doll theme running through their show, their quirky, fun designs were a breath of fresh air.

Amal Murad created a huge buzz at fashion week, shown by the huge turnout for her show. Her unique take on the traditional abayas worn by Emirate women impressed and showed what Dubai Fashion Week is all about. Her show was an injection of culture and gave some education to people like myself.

I was a little unsure of what to expect from Dubai Fashion Week, and whether it really would live up to its predecessors. I can gladly say that it did not disappoint. It is refreshing to know that you can get everything you want out of fashion week whilst experiencing some culture at the same time. It is going from strength to strength and is definitely one to watch. I for one am excited to see what comes from the spring/summer ’10 shows and will be making sure to have my seat reserved.